"I'd never used bourbon and aquavit together before, not successfully at least. We actually have a small, full bar in the back that we turned into a sort of research-and-development space, with a different menu every night. We all take a turn back there every week, and we bring in guest bartenders on Mondays.

"I was getting really frustrated with a cocktail I had been working on for the summer menu. I was trying a bunch of takes on classics, then basically just said, 'Fuck it. I'm gonna try this.' I really like the aquavit, and I wanted it in a cocktail. This turned out like a really funky Collins. Coming up with names for new cocktails every week can be a little taxing, but I actually have Google to thank for this one, weirdly. My girlfriend and I have been watching a lot of Deadwood recently, and I've been naming a lot of drinks after 19th-century technologies (we have another one on the menu right now called the Filament). The phrase 'barbershop medicine' popped up in a sidebar ad, and I thought, That's kinda cool.

"I love a lot of the stuff that comes out of the Heaven Hills [distilleries]. They only use maybe three or so mash mills for their entire line, so the stuff that ends up as Evan Williams started out exactly the same as Fighting Cock. It's really cool to see how different aging processes and water levels and blending can yield such different products. Fighting Cock delivers a lot of flavor for the price, and it's a great high-proof option, clocking in at 103. For long drinks like this, I prefer something over 90-proof, so you can actually taste the spirit underneath." —Matt Wallace, Harvard & Stone, Los Angeles

Barbershop Medicine

1.5 oz Fighting Cock bourbon (or another 100-or-so-proof bourbon)

.75 oz lemon juice

.5 oz orange juice

.5 oz Krogstad aquavit

2 barspoons superfine sugar

Ginger beer

Combine in shaker and shake. Pour over ice in a Collins glass. Top with ginger beer and garnish with a lemon wedge.